10/22/2006

ROME, Oct 22 (Reuters) - Pope Benedict called on Iraqis and religious and political leaders worldwide on Sunday to stop the violence between religious factions in Iraq that has cost the lives of innocent Muslims and Christians. The Pope, who is trying to mend fences with Muslims offended by a speech of his seen as portraying Islam as a violent faith, used his regular Sunday address to send "cordial greetings" to Muslims celebrating the end of their annual Ramadan fast. "In dramatic contrast with this happy atmosphere there comes news from Iraq of the grave situation of insecurity and cruel violence to which many innocent people are exposed just because they are Shi'ite, Sunni or Christian," he said. The U.S.-backed Iraqi government is led by Shi'ite Muslims who are struggling to rein in Shi'ite militias battling Sunnis in a sectarian conflict that kills about 100 Iraqis every day. Since the Pope's speech, Christians in Iraq fear they could become the targets of more violence. Iraq's main Shi'ite and Sunni Muslim parties all denounced the Pope's remarks as an attack on the Prophet Muhammad, while demonstrators burned a white effigy of the Pope last month. A recent U.S. government report on religious freedom in Iraq estimated the number of Christians has shrunk to about 1 million from 1.4 million in 1987. Most are Catholics known as Chaldeans.

HUMINT: The Vatican and Mecca are on board with peace in Iraq - but are the insurgents listening? They had better start listening to their spiritual leadership before they burn in hell with the Iraqi insurgents who were killed in battle before them.

Mecca, 20 Oct. (AkI) - Iraqi Sunni and Shiite religious leaders are due on Friday to ink a 10-point peace accord in the holy Saudi city of Mecca aimed at ending the sectarian bloodbath in Iraq, pan-Arab daily al-Sharq al-Awsat reported. Representatives from the Sunni Ulema Council - Iraq's highest Sunni religious authority - and Shiite clerics from the holy Shiite city of Najaf will attend the signing of the document, which condemns the slaying of civilians and the destruction of mosques, and calls for the withdrawal of American troops and for national unity. At least 100 civilians are being killed each day in Iraq, according to the United Nations. The latest figures from the Iraqi health ministry stated that 2,667 people were killed in the Iraqi capital, Baghdad during September, 400 more than in August. In July and August, 6,599 people were killed across the country, of which 5,106 were killed in Baghdad, according to the UN.